England Test captain Ben Stokes on schedule to return for Pakistan tour - Comeback will be 'sooner rather than later'
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Published 28/08/2024 at 18:15 GMT+1
Ben Stokes was ruled out of the entirety of England's three-Test series against Sri Lanka this summer. But the captain is hoping to be back to travel on his side's tour of Pakistan in October, with the 33-year-old already in light batting training. The all-rounder is finding life on the sidelines "weird", but he has been impressed by how Ollie Pope has stepped up to fill his shoes.
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Ben Stokes is on schedule to recover from a hamstring injury to play a full role in England’s October tour of Pakistan.
After sustaining the injury playing in The Hundred earlier this month, the Test captain was ruled out of the series against Sri Lanka, with the second Test at Lord’s due to commence on Thursday, August 29.
But the 33-year-old is already back for light batting training in the nets, something he described as “just scratching an itch”.
And in an interview by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Stokes says he is hoping to return at the earliest opportunity.
”I'm all good, just slowly progressing,” said Stokes. “Me batting is just scratching an itch. I’m just taking it easy, hitting some balls. It's still very early days in the rehab period.
“I want to get back as quick as I possibly can, so being around the medical team here with physio and doctors, I thought that was going to give myself the best chance of getting back sooner rather than later.”
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England’s stand-in captain Ollie Pope tempered expectations of a speedy Stokes comeback but was confident that the all-rounder would be back to his best for the winter tours of Pakistan and New Zealand.
Pope said: ”He's obviously still a fair while away off playing, and he's not trying to play as a batter and a first slip - just yet, anyway. But it's been great to see him.
”Injuries are never ideal, but they're also great chances for people to keep improving their game and have a little bit of time of reflection and think about what he can work on in his game. I'm sure that's exactly what he's doing in the nets.
“Going into that Pakistan series and then into New Zealand, he's going to be as fresh as anyone.“
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As for Pope’s transition from vice-captain, Stokes revealed that his team-mate confided in him that the concentration levels required to lead the side were challenging at first.
Stokes said: “[Pope] has moved into the role seamlessly. He did actually say to me after day one in the field that he was so tired after the first day.
“I said I was as well because your mind is constantly going. But that is something that he got used to and I’m sure throughout the remainder of the series he’ll find that a bit easier.
“That first day for him was mentally draining, he admitted that, just with all the thinking and the fact that you can’t switch off at any moment.”
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Ben Stokes of Northern Superchargers goes down injured during The Hundred match between Manchester Originals Men and Northern Superchargers Men at Emirates Old Trafford on August 11, 2024 in Manchester, England.
Image credit: Getty Images
But Stokes admitted that a spell on the sidelines has been a strange experience, even if he found watching England’s five-wicket first Test win over Sri Lanka relaxing.
He continued: “I think once the game started it was actually alright. The build up days were a bit weird. I was hanging around in the background but I wanted to be with the team.
“I really like watching cricket so that makes it a bit easier. I was actually pretty relaxed and pretty chilled. I thought I might be a little bit frantic. I’m sure the coaches and the guys in the dressing room would say otherwise.
“When you don't have the emotion of being in the game, you do look at it from a different point of view.“
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